Endless-cable-traction railway



(No Mom.) 2 sheets-sheet .1.

F. G. .CORNING- ENDLESS CABLE TRAGTION RAILWAY.

No. 297.068. @L

Patented Apr. 15

IINTTnn STATES PATENT Ottica'.

FREDERICK G. OORNING,. OF BROOKLYN, NEWv YORK.

ENDLESS-CABLE-TRACTION RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 297,068, dated April15, 1884.

To a/Z whom t may conceive:

Beit known that I, FREDERICK G. CORNING, of the city of Brooklyn, countyof Kings, and State of New York. have invented new and usefulImprovements in EndlessOable-Traction Railways; and I do hereby declarethat the following specification and accompanying drawings, forming apart thereof,'is a true, clear, and' complete description of myinvention.

My invention relates to that class of streetrailways in which the carsare propelled along the track by means of an endless cable, which isarranged to travel in an underground tube or tunnel, and in which agripping apparatus or device is used to connect the cars' with the ropethrough a slot in the tube. This system of propelling railway-cars haslong been in use, though frequently its regularity of operation has beendisturbed and the ruiming and repair expenses increased by the influxthrough the slot of water, snow, ice, dirt, and gravel, and theaccumulation of such foreign materials in the cable'tube or tunnel. Theautomatic and economic cleaning and extraction of such matter, and,furthermore, the entire prevention of its entrance into the actual cabletunnel or tube has never been effected previous to my invention.

Heretofore the tunnel has been constructed with the slot directly ornearly above the cable and its friction-sheaves, whereby water, mud, andother foreign material from the` street would fall directly within thetunnel through which the cable passes, and which is rendered difficultto clean, owing to the mechanicalobstructions in the tunnel, such as thecable and its supporting-sheaves, for instance. Likewise in manyinstances, on horizontal or nearly horizontal streets, there isdifficulty experienced in using the bottom of the main cabletube as adraining-gutter because of its depend ency on the grade given the tubeor tunnel.

The foregoing disadvantages are eliminated by my invention, whichconsists in placing a supplementary tunnel or 'way alongside andparallel with the usual cable-tunnel, and in locati ng the slot directlyover the supplementary tunnel or passage in such manner that whateverforeign material falls through the slot will be deposited therein, fromwhich it can be Application filed January 19, 1884. (No model.)

readily removed by suitable appliances. This tunnel is given a gradesuitable to conducting or drawing off the water entering through theslot, and mayhave, according to requirements, a different grade fromthat of the cable-tunnel. lt contains no obstructions, and thereforeadmits of applying a cheap mechanical cleaning system for the extractionof the sediment and deposit accumulating and remaining therein.

Referring to the d rawings accompanying the description, Figure 1represents a cross-section, in which I is a Streetcar with grippingmechanism F, by means of which connection is effected at will withendless cable B.

A A represent the street-car surface and rails; E, the slot throughwhich the grip mechanism F passes, and beneath which the passage D islocated. The grip mechanism F is offset, so as to pass through thecontinuous opening or horizontal slot G, overinto the main cabletunnelO, which is rendered free from the accumulation or entrance of foreignmatter detrimental to the working as well as to the duration of thecable mechanism B and B. The under side of the slot- E is provided withalip, c, which prevents any drip from passing into the cable-tunnel O,conducting such drip into passage, drain, or supplementary tunnel D,which is the receptacle for all matter falling through slot E from thestreet.

In Fig.v2 are shown a side elevation and longitudinal section,illustratinga manner of automatically cleaning and removing theaccumulation in tunnel D. I is a car, from which grip F is actuated; O,the cable-tunnel; B, the cable, and B a friction-sheave guiding cable B;J, street-car coupled to cai-I, from which dirttruck H is propelledunderground in supplementary tunnel D by joint-rod connection L throughslot E; b, an endless series of brushes passing and conveying dirt overapron a into dirt-truck H, operated by chains c from wheels w ofdirt-truck H; S, sheet shutting off opening G from cleaning-machine,preventing dirt spattering into tunnel O during cleaning of tunnel D,the whole being propelled and operated by the motion of car J above. ThetunnelD maybe built when required with a grade more or less independentof that of tunnel C, thereby constituting a drain conducting thecontents to suitable depositories.

IOO

Figs. 3 and -t are inodications of grips, showing in perspective mannerot' offsetting t0 reach through opening G cable BJ as illustrated andAdescribed in Fig. l.

Fig. 5 is a cross-section through Fig. 2, according to line x x, showingcar J connected with and propelling by joint-rod L the cleaningmechanism, of which Z) isthe endless series of brushes. S is the sheettraveling` with the cleaning mechanism and completely shutting oft canalD from canal C during operation of cleaning. G is the opening fromD toC; B, thecable; B', a sheave.

Fig. 6 is a side sectional elevation, showing car I, grip F, maincable-tunnel C, supplementary canal D, having different grade than thatot tunnel C. G- is connecting-opening or horizontal slot; B, cable intunnel C.

By the use of this invention, substantially as above described, I ainenabled, in addition to the above-mentioned advantages, to shut outwater and all moist impurities i'roin the cable-tunnel, whose freezingwould hinder the operation of this otherwise ideal method of propellingstreet-cars; and in so doing I remove and obviate the main objection tothis method otpropelling street cars through streets and cities.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent,

I. In an underground tunnel for endlesscable traction, the combinationof a tube containing an endless cable, with a second tube, at the topot' which isa vertical slot opening upward to the street, both tubes ortunnels being continuously connected by a horizont-al slot or opening,and in combination with a gripping device passing through both thevertical and the horizontal slots, substantially as described.

2. In an underground tunnel for endlesscable traction. the combinationof tube C, containing tlie endless cable B,with a second tube, D, havingan independent inclined bottom, at the top of which tube is a verticalslot, E, provided with lip e, said slot opening upward to the street,both tube C and D being continuously connected by the horizontal slot G,and in combination with a gripping device passing through both thevertical and horizontal slots, substantially as described.

3. In an underground tunnel for endless cable traction, the combinationof a tube containing an endless cable with a second tube containing anysuitable brush connected through p a vertical slot opening upward to thestreet, both tubes being connected by a horizontal slot, with a grippingdevice passing through both the vertical and horizontal slots,substantially as described.

et. In an underground tube or tunnel with a vertical slot in which anendless cable travels, the combination of a partition, P, in suolitunnel, placed between the cable andthe vertical slot, with a continuoushorizontal slot or opening, G, between the edge of such partition andthe top of the tube or tunnel7 substantially as described.

FREDERICK G. CORNING. Til nesses:

L. A. CHANDLER, HENRY Wns'roN.

